Bat

ABSTRACT

A baseball bat comprising a plastic hollow barrel, two end caps for closing the same, an insert in the barrel, and a tapered force fit of the insert in the barrel by virtue of a taper on the insert and a plurality of inwardly extending lengthwise directed ridges on the interior of the barrel which are tapered in height along the length of the barrel.

United States Patent 11 1 Reizer 1 BAT [75] lnventor: Robert F. Reizer,Anaheim, Calif.

[73] Assignee: AMF Corporation, White Plains,

[22] Filed: Sept. 6, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 394,571

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No.189,459, Oct. 14,

1971, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 273/72 R, 273/D1G. 7 [51] Int. Cl A63b 59/06 [58] Field ofSearch. 273/67 R, 67 A, 67 D, 67 DA, 273/72 R, 72 A, 80 R, 80 B, 82 R,82 A, 82

B, 80.2-80.8, DlG. 112

1 Aug. 20, 1974 3,025,061 3/1962 Ernst et a1 273/82 R 3,048,400 8/1962Friedman.... 273/82 R 3,115,129 12/1963 Merriman 124/5 3,228,687 1/1966Bauer 273/72 A 3,306,960 2/1967 Weissman.... 264/51 3,332,685 7/1967Halip r 273/82 A 3,478,134 11/1969 Gruss et al 273/82 R X 3,638,9422/1972 Bassett 273/67 A FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 277,125 6/1965Australia 273/82 A 746,779 11/1966 Canada 273/82 R 386,124 1/1933 GreatBritain 273/802 434,533 9/1935 Great Britain r 273/80 B 478,008 1/1938Great Britain 273/67 DA Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham AssistantExaminerRichard J. Apley Attorney, Agent, or FirmGeorge W. Price; WalterLewis 2 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PAIENIEB MIGZ 01974 FIG.

FIG. 8-

FIG. 3

PAIENFEDmsaomu SEEHZME X 4V6? i. s

BAT

This application is a continuation in part of my pending applicationSer. No. 189,459 filed Oct. 14, I97] and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND This invention relates to baseball or softball bats, and moreparticularly, to ball bats having a nonwood body.

While the use of wooden bats has been unchallenged in Big Leaguebaseball play, their high cost, due to their tendency toward breakage,have led to dissatisfaction in other areas of play, such as in LittleLeague play, school playgrounds, camps and the like.

However, due to tradition, there has been a reluctance to utilize moredurable but less esthetically pleasing materials in bats, such asplastics. This reluctance has been crystalized by the non-woodappearance, sound, and feel of bats fabricated of plastic. Furthermore,it has been difficult to fabricate a non-wood bat that has thedurability features of plastic and also approximates the performancecharacteristics of regulation wood bats in impact, stiffness, and sound.

SUMMARY It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide abaseball or softball bat made of durable materials and having thecharacteristics of a wooden bat.

It is a further object of the invention to fabricate a ball bat havingan exterior made of a durable and easyto-form plastic material and aninterior stiffening memher.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a ball bathaving an injection molded plastic exterior and a member mounted thereinfor imparting the stiffness and impact characteristics of wood.

In accordance with these and other objects, a ball bat according to theinvention may comprise a plastic exterior, a plurality of ribs extendingfrom the interior of said plastic, and an elongated reinforcing memberremovably mounted in said plastic and supported by said ribs.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings FIG. 1 is an elevation viewof the baseball bat of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar view broken away to show the interior parts;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the core insert;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the butt end of the bat;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the hitting end of the bat;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the hitting end of the bat;

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view through the handle portion of the bat ofFIG. 2; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view through the hitting portion of the batof FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now particularly tothe drawings, the bat comprises essentially the four major elements ofan exterior elongated plastic barrel 10, an insert 11, and two end caps12 and 13. As an option a color coded ring 14 is used with the cap 13 toindicate bat size.

The barrel 10, which is contoured on the exterior into the shape of abat for playing the game of baseball or softball, has an enlargedhitting portion 10, a smaller handle portion 10', and an intermediateportion 10" which merges the other two portions with each other, seeFIG. 2.

As shown, the barrel 10 is hollow, and is adapted to have a core 11force fit therein. The core 11 is tapered slightly along its length andextends along essentially the whole length of barrel 10. The interior ofbarrel 10 has a plurality of radially inward extending ridges 15 formedthereon. Ten ridges 15 are illustrated, but it is within the scope ofthe invention to use more or less.

The ridges 15 extend for essentially the entire length of the barrel 10.They are tapered in their radial direction or height, see FIG. 8. Thatis to say, their sidewalls are tapered with respect to each other. Theridges are also tapered along their length, starting with a minimumheight at the butt or cap 12 end of the bat, see FIG. 7, and graduallyincreasing in height to a maximum height at the hitting or cap 13 end ofthe bat, see FIG. 8. The dash line 15' in FIG. 2 represents the taperedheight or depth of the ridges 15 as they progress along the length ofthe bat. The lengthwise taper to the core 11 and the lengthwise taper tothe ridges 15 are matched so that when the core 11 is driven into thebarrel a tapered force fit is secured between the core 11 and pluralityof ridges 15.

The handle or butt end of the barrel 10 is closed by end cap 12 byvirtue of threads 16 formed on the cap 12 and the correspondingoutermost end of the barrel 10. The hitting end of the barrel 10 isclosed by end cap 13. The ridges 15 terminate short of the outermosthitting end of the barrel to define a cavity 17 to provide a space toreceive the inner end of cap 13.

Cap 13 is hollow and has a plurality of somewhat resilient inwardlyextending fingers 18 formed thereon by virtue of slots 19. One of theslots 19 is longer than the others since it is intended to receive alocating ridge 20 formed in the cavity 17 to prevent the cap 13 fromturning. On their interior the fingers 18 are reinforced by ridges l8,and on their exterior they have fine line ridges 18" formed thereon. Theridges 18 make it possible to drive the cap 13 into the cavity 17. Ascap 13 is driven into cavity 17, the resilient fingers l8 flex slightlyso that a secure connection is obtained of the cap 13 to the barrel.

A ring 14 is shown as being slipped over the fingers 18 between theoutermost end of the barrel 18 and the cap 13. This ring 14 is given acolor contrasting with the color of the barrel 10 according to apreselected color code to readily visually indicate the size of the bat.

The barrel 10 is injected molded, utilizing a glass filled thermoplasticresin system. The color of the thermoplastic resin is selected toapproximate that of wood and the mold is designed to impart a surfacedesign to the bat similar to the grain in a wood bat. Stain may be addedlater to enhance the simulated wood grain effect. The glass lengthutilized in the system is from l/ 16 inch to /2inch in length with E orS glass and silane finish. The thermoplastic resin system selected isnylon 6 with a glass concentration of 20 percent E glass with mediumlength fibers of V4 inch and silane finish. Other thermoplastics usableare nylon 6--6. nylon 6l0, nylon 6l 2 Polypropylene glass, styreneacrylonitrilc glass, polystyrene glass, polycarbonate glass,acrylonitrilebutadienestyrene glass, polyethylene glass, polysulfoneglass, polyurethane glass, polyacetal glass, polyphenylene oxide glassand polyvinyl chloride glass. In addition, the glass concentration canvary as low as percent and as high as 50 percent with additives toimprove weathering characteristics and glass beads to improve flow.

The butt end cap 12 is designed to be the knob end of the bat. Adhesiveis applied to the threaded area 16 to make the screw fit permanent. Inthe alternative, the butt end cap 12 could be directly adhesively bondedor welded to the bat without utilizing the threaded connection. It mayalso be the terminus of the reinforcing member 11 and can be potted withadhesive to insure complete stabilization of the core. The adhesivesystem selected is Buna-N urethane epoxy. Other suitable adhesives aretwo part epoxy polyamide, epoxy polyamine, epoxy polyurethane, urethane,and any thermosetting or solvent release adhesive system with good peeland tensile shear strengths. Peel strengths of 20-50 in. lbs/in andtensile shear strengths of 2,000 to 5,000 PSI are adequate for thisapplication. The butt end cap 12 is injected molded and is the samematerial as the barrel 10. The mold is designed to impart a simulatedwood grain to the butt end cap 12 that matches that of the barrel 10.

The end cap 13 is a vital element of the combination in that it receivesa major amount of the impact and abuse absorbed by the bat. The cap 13is designed to provide increased resistance to impact and includes acylindrical flange 21, see FIG. 5, which is slotted to provide thefingers l8, and which fits within the end of the barrel to provide alarge surface area for adhesive bonding or welding of the end cap 13 tothe barrel 10. The cap 13 is also injection molded of the same materialas the barrel and a wood grain is imparted thereto. The end cap 13 canbe keyed to the barrel by the slot 19 and ridge 20 to maintain theproper wood grain orientation. The ridges 18" on the bonding surfaceprovide for an interference fit and maintain a uniform glue linethickness.

The reinforcing member 11 is used to increase the modulus of the bat inthe handle area, and as a structural support in the hitting area. Theimpact of a ball on the barrel is transmitted through the ribs and intothe reinforcing member which resists and counteracts the tendency forthe bat to deform and attenuates the force of the impact. The use of thereinforcing member in combination with the ribbed barrel imparts animpact sound to the bat that approximates the sound of a wooden bat.However, if desired, sound attenuation can be achieved by the use of lowdensity polyurethane foam in the voids between the reinforcing member,the

ribs and the interior surface of the barrel.

The material makeup of the reinforcing core 11 is dictated by threevariables: modulus, weight, and cost. The best material from a strengthto weight ratio is a 70 percent glass 30 percent phenolic or epoxycomposite which would yield using unidirectional glass cloth l557X amodulus of 6.0 X IO 'PSI, but the cost of this material is prohibitive.A metallic core of aluminum (2024T3 or 7075T6) or thin walled steelcould be used. Again, weight and cost would be the drawback. As acompromise between modulus, weight, and cost, a

wood core of maple with a specific gravity of 0.63 gms/cc and a modulusof elasticity l.8 X 10 PSI is provided.

To assemble the bat, the barrel 10, which is formed by injectionmolding, is abraded inside its cavity 17 to insure adhesive bonding ofthe end cap 13. The maple reinforcing member is prepared with adhesiveby either tape wrapping or by coating from a liquid system. The barrelis heated to about 275F., and the maple reinforcing member is insertedinto the ribs or ridges 15 as by an air ram. The taper of thereinforcing member 11 and of the ribs or ridges 15 provide aninterference fit of the reinforcing member with the barrel. And, theheat from the barrel causes the adhesive on the maple reinforcing memberto flow uniformly and firmly join the reinforcing member to the ribs orridges 15 of the barrel.

The end caps, which are also injection molded, are sandblasted to breakthe surface glaze imparted by the injection molding operation andprepared with adhesive. The adhesive is applied to the end caps whenthey are at a temperature of l50 180F. The butt end cap 12 is screwed onto the barrel and the end cap 13 is forced into the barrel cavity 17 byan air ram or the like. The bat is heated to 250 275F. for a period of30-45 minutes to cure the adhesive.

Since the moisture was driven out of the nylon 6 thermoplastic resin bythe heat generated during the molding process, moisture is restored tothe bat barrel by emplacing it in a boiling water bath for about 24hours. The moisture reduces the crystallinity of the nylon to anamorphous state, which eliminates brittleness. The bat is then spraystained to obtain the wood grain effect and then waxed to a semi-glossfinish.

I claim:

1. A fabricated baseball bat comprising a hollow elongated exteriormember having the outer contour of a conventional baseball batcomprising a hitting portion, a handle portion, and an intermediateportion interconnecting the two other portions, the hitting portionhaving a substantially constant outer diameter, the handle portionhaving an outer diameter substantially smaller than that of the hittingportion, and the inter mediate portion having a tapered outer diametermerging at opposite ends thereof with the hitting and handle portions,an elongated tapered reinforcing member inside said hollow elongatedmember, the large end of said tapered reinforcing member correspondingto said hitting portion and the small end thereof to said handleportion, a plurality of radially inward extending ribs on the inside ofsaid hollow elongated member and spaced circumferentially about theinside surface of said hollow member, said ribs extending continuouslyand substantially the whole length of said hollow elongated member andbeing tapered from a small height at said handle portion to a maximumheight at said hitting portion, said reinforcing member comprising asolid wood insert having a tapered force fit against said plurality ofribs and being substantially coextensive in length with said ribs, saidhitting, handle and intermediate portions and said ribs being integralwith each other and comprising glass-filled resin material, a pair ofend caps closing opposite ends of said hollow elongated memher, saidwood insert extending along the length of said hollow elongated memberfrom adjacent one end cap to adjacent the other end cap, and saidfabricated baseball bat comprising essentially said four parts of saidand end cap therefor, said ring and hitting portion end cap having outerdiameters corresponding to the outer diameter of said hitting portion,and said ring having a color contrasting with the color of said hollowelongated member to visually indicate the size of said bat in accordancewith a preselected color code.

l l= l l

1. A fabricated baseball bat comprising a hollow elongated exteriormember having the outer contour of a conventional baseball batcomprising a hitting portion, a handle portion, and an intermediateportion interconnecting the two other portions, the hitting portionhaving a substantially constant outer diameter, the handle portionhaving an outer diameter substantially smaller than that of the hittingportion, and the intermediate portion having a tapered outer diametermerging at opposite ends thereof with the hitting and handle portions,an elongated tapered reinforcing member inside said hollow elongatedmember, the large end of said tapered reinforcing member correspondingto said hitting portion and the small end thereof to said handleportion, a plurality of radially inward extending ribs on the inside ofsaid hollow elongated member and spaced circumferentially about theinside surface of said hollow member, said ribs extending continuouslyand substantially the whole length of said hollow elongated member andbeing tapered from a small height at said handle portion to a maximumheight at said hitting portion, said reinforcing member comprising asolid wood insert having a tapered force fit against said plurality ofribs and being substantially coextensive in length with said ribs, saidhitting, handle and intermediate portions and said ribs being integralwith each other and comprising glass-filled resin material, a pair ofend caps closing opposite ends of said hollow elongated member, saidwood insert extending along the length of said hollow elongated memberfrom adjacent one end cap to adjacent the other end cap, and saidfabricated baseball bat comprising essentially said four parts of saidhollow elongated member, said insert, and said pair of end caps.
 2. In abaseball bat as in claim 1, wherein said resin material comprises nylon,said wood insert comprises maple, said end caps being constructed of thesame material as said hollow elongated member, and a ring on the outerend of said bat between the hitting portion and end cap therefor, saidring and hitting portion end cap having outer diameters corresponding tothe outer diameter of said hitting portion, and said ring having a colorcontrasting with the color of said hollow elongated member to visuallyindicate the size of said bat in accordance with a preselected colorcode.